{"id":220784,"date":"2026-01-07T04:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T04:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/220784\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T04:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T04:23:08","slug":"10-minute-bursts-of-exercise-can-trigger-anti-cancer-signals-in-the-body-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/220784\/","title":{"rendered":"10-Minute Bursts of Exercise Can Trigger Anti-Cancer Signals in The Body : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Evidence suggests regular exercise can help tackle cancer<\/a>, and a new study finds that cancer-fighting biological changes can be triggered in the body after just 10 minutes of intense cycling.<\/p>\n

This burst of activity is enough to release beneficial molecules into the blood, the international team of researchers behind the study has found. These molecules speed up DNA repair<\/a> and dial down genes related to cancer<\/a> growth.<\/p>\n

This results in a shift in blood chemistry, triggered by exercise, that potentially slows the growth and spread of cancer<\/a>. This might be something we can harness or exploit to develop new treatments<\/a> \u2013 in this case, for colon cancer.<\/p>\n

Related: Regular Exercise Reduces Death From Colon Cancer by 37%, Study Finds<\/a><\/p>\n

“What’s remarkable is that exercise doesn’t just benefit healthy tissues, it sends powerful signals through the bloodstream that can directly influence thousands of genes in cancer cells,” says<\/a> clinical exercise physiologist Sam Orange, from Newcastle University in the UK.<\/p>\n

“It’s an exciting insight because it opens the door to find ways that mimic or augment the biological effects of exercise, potentially improving cancer treatment and, crucially, patient outcomes.”<\/p>\n

\"CancerSerum from post-exercise blood samples was tested on colon cancer cells, with the researchers finding changes in gene expression and signs of enhanced DNA repair. (Orange et al., Int. J. Cancer, 2025)<\/p>\n

Thirty overweight or obese volunteers aged 50-78 years were recruited for the study (carrying extra weight is associated with higher cancer risk<\/a>). After a quick warm-up, they completed an intense cycling exercise on a stationary bike lasting about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

Using blood serum samples collected before and after the exercise, the researchers identified how the molecular mix changed. These serum samples were then applied to lab-grown colon cancer<\/a> cells, revealing some potential anti-cancer effects.<\/p>\n

While exercise has previously been shown to be an effective way to slow colon cancer<\/a> and help prevent its return<\/a> after surgery, this study provides a detailed look at the biological pathways involved, which in turn opens the door to exploring new treatments.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, it’s another indication of how important exercise is<\/a> for our overall health and well-being. Even if you can only fit in a few minutes every day, there’s a good chance it’ll make a difference to your mental<\/a> and physical state.<\/p>\n

“Even a single workout can make a difference,” says<\/a> Orange.<\/p>\n

“One bout of exercise, lasting just 10 minutes, sends powerful signals to the body. It’s a reminder that every step, every session, counts when it comes to doing your best to protect your health.”<\/p>\n

\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

There are limitations here: The effects of the blood serum were tested only in lab-grown cancer cells, not people, and only the short-term effects of a single bout of exercise were measured.<\/p>\n

However, there are enough encouraging signs here to suggest that short but vigorous bouts of exercise<\/a> \u2013 or drugs that somehow stimulate the same effects in the body \u2013 could be a promising new way of slowing colon cancer.<\/p>\n

In the US alone, there are more than 100,000 new cases<\/a> of colon cancer every year, and more than 50,000 deaths. Colorectal cancer, which includes colon and rectal cancers, is actually the second most common<\/a> cause of cancer death in the US right now.<\/p>\n

“In the future, these insights could lead to new therapies that imitate the beneficial effects of exercise on how cells repair damaged DNA and use fuel for energy,” says<\/a> Orange.<\/p>\n

The research has been published in the International Journal of Cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Evidence suggests regular exercise can help tackle cancer, and a new study finds that cancer-fighting biological changes can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,1021,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-220784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-msft-content","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}